Valve action mechanism for wind instruments



Dec. 12, 1950 F. N. MEYERS 2,533,389

VALVE ACTION MECHANISM FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed Aug. 2'7, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y INVENTOR. 1 FRED N. MEYERS w WM ATTOPA EY.

Patented Dec. 1 2, 1950 VALVE? ACTIONTMECHANISM FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Fred N;..Mey.e1-.s; Andover, 0hiog,assignor torThe H .White" Comp any;. Cleveland ohio; a cor-- noratiomof' Ohio Application-August 2-1, 194s ;s'eriar1ve= 464w 11 This; invention: relates; as: indicated; to. saxophones, but has reference. moreparticularlyv to the octave keyoperating mechanism. of Isuch;.in"-

stituments.

' A. primary object. of. the. inventionis? to. pro'-- vide an .octive key operating mechanismior. wind instruments. of the. character described,v which operates ina smooth,.r.apidmanner, providingan extremely light action. which. is necessary, for fast'execution in the playing ofsuch instruments.

Another object of theinvention is to provide an octave'key operating or actuating mechanism of" the" characterdescribed, which insures; posi-'- tlve closing an opening. of 'the. octave keys, and eliminates"- any and all" possibilities of a break. intone; in changing from oneregister' to' the other:

A further object of the invention isto provide an' octave keywperating mechanisnr;of the charact'end'es'cribed; whichis extremely'simple in construction; enabling the mechanism to*- function" properly: and effectively over longperiod's; reduciilg repairs to=a minimum, and enabling repairs and adjustments, when necessary; tube-made quickly and easily.

Other "obj e'cts and advantages of the invention will be apparent 'd'uring thecourse" of the followin description;

In th'eaccompanying: drawings; forming" a part oi this specification, and in which like numera'ls" y.

are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame;

Fig. I isafragmentary side elevational' view of? the-upper portion of a saxophone; havingembodied therein. the novel octave key operat View;

view;

view;

View;

incorporated. in: a saxophone which. is: provided;

with, the; usual goose-neck; I. and: main pipe.

The goose-neck: lis provided with. am octave valve: 3', which isnQrmaHyclosEdzby a2 padenswhich. comprises" the; octave; key; and 'is" pivotally connected?tov theinstmunenhas; at. 6. The octave key is? noi'mally -heldiint VfiilVG-CIQSIlHgiPGSitiDIIZ by meanstsofa flatlspring: 1-; onc end'ofiwhichzis: secured: to; the octaveekey" by ascrew 8: and: the: othenendiof whichibearsagainst the gooseeneclt-z octave key: a has.: rigidly: secured to: its lower end .amarouate element 1:0. which. partiallysurrounds. the: upper end' of the pipe. and; lies closely adjacent the upper end of a lever' Isl;

i therefrom: andzrigidlyssecureditoashort tubular sleeve M which is rotatable: about: a shaft-:2 I55, the ends of which are 'nonz-rotatably: mounted. in supporting; brackets or;- posts; L6: and; H which extend: from theipipe. 2.

'l he-lowerxend; l-l (l Of'flJhStlBi/BE'I M. is of slightly" reducedldi'ameten' and extends through a recessl8-inone;end of a: floating. leveii 19-; which has a recess 20;..similar the recess [8,. in its opposite end; Thai-lever, lais-rigidly securedto'a: shortsieeve. 2L. which is=rockableabout as screw 22- constituting: a shaft; which isrigidly: connected-,, as by a nut 23, to an arm 24, extendingfrom-a sleeve. 25:

The sleeve: 2i-5 -isrockable; about. a. shaft 25a;- the 1 ends: of which are.- nonerotatablyr' mounted; insupporting; brackets. on posts; 26 and 21: which... extend. from-v the. pipe. 2. Extendingfrom. the? lowen end .of; the; sleeve 25.- is v a, thumb-piece 28*" lay means of which the. sleeve 25- is-rocked: about: the shaft 25a.

Alwire spring; 2 aiwhich hasitslower end-rigidiy secured irn the. post 21;. bears at. its: upper end? against an:- arm. 3fl -which projects fromthevsleeves; 25. and. normally maintains. the sleeve in the positionshow-r;r in- Figs.-. 1=,,2.-and17= The key. 5;. which opens the; valve. 3, is-= used: for playing the high register. There: is also shown; a valve. 3.1-, which is. opened: by an: octave keyr 32: for-playing, the .middleregisteiu. However,

1 three; registers; may be; produced;. namely. high,v

when: thesoctave' velvet/or port 3. isopen; middle; when. the; octave valve-: on port 31 istopetr; and:v lower," when-both: portsiareaclosedi.

The octave Kevan. extendsirom. ashortasleeve. 33. whichdsrotatable about the shaft.- l5,- being; interposed. between: the lower; end; of the; sleeve: 44 and the post I'L. Extendingdrom. thersleeve- 33;, adjacent its lower end; is an arm 34,, which, assh'own in. Eig, 4, is; off V.-shaped conformation.

closemwithin: a; socket mounted; on? a2 lever; 55f Extending-downwardly frcmthehaseaon: centnal i.

portion of this arm is a lever 35 having a lower end 35a of reduced diameter, which extends through the recess in the lever l9. Extending downwardly from the arm 34, in spaced relation to and parallel with the lever is a second lever 36, which is somewhat longer than the lever 35, and has a lower end 36a of reduced diameter.

A wire spring 31, having its lower end secured to the post 17, bears at its upper end against a projecting eaf'38 on the key 32, and acts to move the latter to open position, in a manner to be presently described.

The lower end 3a of the lever 36 lies in contact with a lever 39, which extends from a sleeve 40, which is mounted for rocking movement about a shaft 4 I, the upper end of which is rigidly secured in a bracket or post 42, and which passes through a bracket or post 43, below the post 42. The sleeve is interposed between the posts 42 and 43.

Extending from .the sleeve 40, adjacent the lower end of the latter, is an arm 44, the outer end -of. which is-rigidly secured to a lever 45, which is rockable "about .the shaft 4! by means of 'a'finger-piece 46 which extends from the lever 45. The lever 45, and consequently the fingerpiece 46; are normally maintained in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and '7, by means of a wire spring (not shown) which is similar to the spring 29. V V

When it is desired to'open the octave key 5, the thumb-piece 28 is depressed against the action of the spring 29, causing the arm 24 to be rocked in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5, about the shaft 25a. This causes the sleeve 2! to move away i'rom the pipe 2, and causes the upperend of the lever 19, as viewed in Fig. 5, to be moved away from the pipe 2, the lever 19 1 being, at the same time, swu-ng in a counterclockwise direction about the shaft '2l due to the fact'that the lower end of the lever I9 is maintained against such swinging movement by the presence of the end "3511 of the lever 35 in the recess 20 of the lever 19. The lever l9, in fact, swings about two pivotal points, one represented by the shaft 2|, and the other by'the end 35a of the lever 35. i

the respective levers II and 35 are free toslide in the recesses'or slots, the opening of the octave key 5 is e'fiected in a smooth, rapid manner, providing an extremely light action which is necessary for fast execution in the playing of the saxophone. I

When it is desired to open the octave key 32, while the thumb-piece 28 is depressed, the finger button 46 is depressed; causing th'lever 39 to be-rocked about the shaft 4|, in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed'in Fi'gsf4, 5 and 6, and

' octave key 5 to closed position.

The octave key operating mechanism which has 7 been described, isespecially advantageous in that ,it" insures positive closing and opening of the octave keys, and eliminates any and all possibilities of a break in tone when the two octave keys function automatically in changing from one register to the other.

The mechanism is extremely simple in construction and eliminates the need for the large number ofparts, found in existing instruments. This simplification of the octave key operating mechanism enables the mechanism to function properly and efiectively over long periods, reduces repairs to a minimum, and enables repairs and adjustments, when necessary, to be made quickly and easily.

' It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

1. In a musical instrument of the character described, an octave key, a second octave key, means for opening said first octave key, said means comprising a lever movable about a fixed axis, a second lever, means communicating the movement of the second lever to the first lever, said'last-named means comprising a third lever having recesses in its opposite ends, said first lever extending through one of said recessessaid second octave key being movable about said fixed and having a post extending therefrom disposed in the other of said recesses.

2. A musical instrument, as defined inclaim 1,

in which said post constitutes a fulcrum aboutwhich said third lever pivots upon movement of; the second lever. p

3, A musical instrument, as defined in claim 1,

including spring means for moving the secondoctave key to open position, and means for re"- leasing said second octave key for opening movement by said spring means, after said first lever has been actuated.

4. In a musical instrument of the character described, means for efiecting sequential operation of two octave keys, said means comprising parallel spaced levers, a fixed shaft common to said levers, said levers being adapted to rock about said shaft, means connecting one of said levers to one of said octave keys, means connecting the other of said levers to the other of said octave keys, spring means normally maintaining said levers in closed position, a pivot arm common to I both of said levers and engaging one end of'each of said levers, means for causing rocking movement of said pivot arnnmeans for shifting the fulcrum of said pivot arm from the axis of one lever to the axis or the other, spring means normally maintaining one octave key inthe closed position, and spring means normally urging the other octave key to the open position, whereby mcve-.

larly, movement of said shifting means is adapted to cause alternate movement of both of said levers in cooperation with said rocking means. 5

5. In a. musical instrument of the character described, an octave key, a second octave key,

means for opening said first octave key, said' means comprising a lever movable, about a'fixed' axis, a second lever and means for operating the same, means connecting the movement of the second lever to the first lever, said last named means comprising a third lever having recesses in its Opposite ends, said first lever extending through one of said recesses, said second octave key being movable about a fixed axis and having a post extending therefrom disposed in the other of said recesses and means on said second lever engageable with said operating means for the second lever to hold said third lever in position to maintain the second octave key closed.

6. In a musical instrument of the character described, an octave key, a second octave key, means for opening said first octave key, said means comprising a lever movable about a fixed axis, a second lever and means for operating the same, means connecting the movement of the second lever to the first lever, said last named means comprising a third lever having recesses in its opposite ends, said first lever extending through one of said recesses, said second octave key being movable abouta fixed axis and having a post extending therefrom disposed in the other of said recesses and means on said second lever; engageable with said operating means for the second lever to hold said third lever in position to maintain the second octave key closed, said last named means including a second post on said second lever lying in the path of movement of said operating means for said second lever.

7. In a musical instrument as claimed in claim 6 wherein the posts on said second lever depend therefrom and wherein the post engageable by said operating means extends below said third lever.

FRED N. MEYERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 5' file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

